Smelly Heat (Antifreeze smell)

05PassatTDI

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 23, 2004
Location
Calgary, Alberta
TDI
05 Passat GLS Wagon Stonehenge Gray
I also noticed the smell the 1st time I used the heat. Here's my saga at the dealership:

- 1st visit: noticed the smell and claimed it was from the factory windshield washer fluid so they changed the fluid. They also said they pressure tested the coolant system and there was no loss of pressure

- 2nd visit: was told that "there is nothing else that can be done but keep on driving the vehicle" until the 1st maintenance and they will look at it again (this meant I would have to smell this for the whole winter). I then asked for the service manager and drove him around for 20 minutes so he could experience this smell himself. After that, the service manager asked me to leave the car with him and he would call VW Canada for recommendation. Well, VW Canada recommended taking the dashboard apart and inspect the heater core.
- 3rd visit (because they had to order a spare heater core): they found a small leak and and replaced the heater core. The heat smells good/normal now. It appears the "worst for wears" are greasy fingerprints and creasy spots from the mechanic's uniform on my new beige leather seats
I used some leather cleaner/conditioner to scrub it and it appeared to come off last night.
- 4th visit (in the near future): the steering angle sensor for the ESP was damaged through the process and needs to be replaced (part on order) so I am driving around without ESP but that should not be a problem...

I thought I would post this just in case someone gets a "we pressure tested the coolant system and found no leak" response from a dealership
 

jimlockey

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 17, 2003
Location
Mesquite, Texas
TDI
14 TDI Jetta & 09 TDI Sportwagen
The dealer said my heater core had old crusted anti freeze all in the area of the heater, and there was a current leak too. This tells me that it had been leaking from day one. The dealer said mine was the first heater core they have replaced and they had never heard of any heater core problems? VW of America said there is no heater core problems for 04 or o5?

Mine was also a full four days to do the job.
 

Iflash

Member
Joined
Sep 17, 2004
Location
Montreal Qc. Canada
TDI
Passat Wagon TDI 2005
I'm from Montreal and also have a smelly heater, service manager was driven around and he said that the heater core had a coating that had to burn off!

He said that at my first inspection they would look it up and in the meantime would check with VW Canada to see if they had any other complaints of the same nature.

So let me know at what dealer you went so I can tell my dealership to verify with them of the problem.

Thanks
 

05PassatTDI

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 23, 2004
Location
Calgary, Alberta
TDI
05 Passat GLS Wagon Stonehenge Gray
He said that at my first inspection they would look it up and in the meantime would check with VW Canada to see if they had any other complaints of the same nature.
My personal opinion is that any coating should have been burnt off in a couple weeks of commute to/from work. If it continues to smell like coolant, especially only when the temperature dial is on HOT, then there is a minor leak. VW should be aware of this by now. I think all it is needed is for your dealer to give VW a call to consult. It almost seems like the dealership has to pay VW a fee every they call... In my case, I almost lost it after both the service writer and a VW Tech told me there was nothing wrong with my car. If it wasn't for the more reasonable service manager who said he would call VW Canada... Good luck!
 

hifye

Member
Joined
Oct 19, 2004
coolant smell back again. smell is stronger at medium heat
than at full hot.thinking of changing heater core myself at my cost
since dealer said there is nothing wrong.any way us guys
can contact vw tech in canada? anybody know what tools are needed to remove dash? I have not ruled out trading in on a acura tl or something....2005 passat tdi
 
Joined
Feb 6, 2002
Location
Herndon VA
TDI
01 Jetta TDI and 04 Passat TDI and 06 Liberty CRD
My dealer is replacing my heater. Still not done. It is now two weeks. He said that the steering column 'didn't go back in correctly' and that he had to order a new one!
 

TDItech

Veteran Member
Joined
May 9, 2003
Location
Lynnwood, WA
TDI
2002 TDI GLS Galactic Blue, 2000 Eurovan with ALH fromthe 02 Jetta
What are these people doing? The column does not have to come out, unless you try to do it as per the manual.

Two weeks? It takes only 4 hours at the most if your any good.
 

jimlockey

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 17, 2003
Location
Mesquite, Texas
TDI
14 TDI Jetta & 09 TDI Sportwagen
It also took four days to replace mine, but they did remove the steering wheel. The service manager said he prefered this because it was easly damaged.

I sure hope that you get the same results as we did.
 

100tdi

Member
Joined
Sep 11, 2004
Location
100 Mile House, B.C.
TDI
2005 Golf GLS TDI
Just a few questions.

I have an 04 Passat TDI.

After reading these posts on the heater core problem , it seems to me that this appears to be related to new 05 Passats. Am I correct in assuming this ?.

So far I have not had the coolant smell when temp. dial is on hot as I have used this a lot already as temps. here are already below freezing point. There is no coolant loss at this time. If there is any coolant loss or problem , should the low coolant dash warning light not come on?

Thanks.
 

TDItech

Veteran Member
Joined
May 9, 2003
Location
Lynnwood, WA
TDI
2002 TDI GLS Galactic Blue, 2000 Eurovan with ALH fromthe 02 Jetta
If the coolant in the bottle gets below the min. mark the coolant light will flash.
 

chippie

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 1, 2002
Location
Northern California
TDI
Golf TDI, Isuzu P'up Diesel
Loaner Car

It seems that VW only gives $25 per day for a loaner car plus you have to pay for your own insurance. I am with AAA and they will not cover the insurance on a rental car for warranty issues.

Oil Consumption

I have used a quart of oil in the first 5,000 miles. Talked to VWOA and they say a quart per 1,000 miles is acceptable. Called up Honda and they say the same so this is industry standard. I am not a tree hugger but putting a quart of oil into the air every thousand miles for a new car seem a little high to me.
 

DPM

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Mar 16, 2001
Location
Newtownards, N. Ireland
TDI
2019 Rav4 AWD Hybrid, Citroen C4 BlueHDI
A litre in the first 5k miles? Shouldn't be a problem. The car is NEW, you're running it in. Good procedure at this time will ensure that your oil consumption IMPROVES as the components bed in. There's plenty of info in the FAQs...
 

chippie

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 1, 2002
Location
Northern California
TDI
Golf TDI, Isuzu P'up Diesel
I have no problem with a quart in 5,000 miles on the new TDI and expected that but a quart for 1,000 miles on any new vehicle would start to get me worried.
 

abctdi

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Mar 31, 2004
Location
ABQ, NM, USA
TDI
2005 Passat GLS
Not yet...I've only got 1300 miles and mild winter here, so have not used it much yet. I anticipate it will eventually have to go in though...not looking forward to it.
 

chippie

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 1, 2002
Location
Northern California
TDI
Golf TDI, Isuzu P'up Diesel
Just pick up my car after a 5,000 oil change and heater core replacement. Nine days to change the heater core. What pisses me off is VW should of pressure tested every 100th heater core and should of caught this problem. They know it is a plan in the arse to fix and would only take a few minutes to check the cores in small batches. Is their quality control going in the toilet? They should not rely on the testing done by their suppliers.

The oil was overfilled 3/4 of an inch above the high mark. I drove about sixty highway miles before discovering this. What recourse is there on this? The dealer remove the excess oil and said not to worry. Not to worry they will not be there to help when the seals start to leak in 50,000 miles or so.
 

dieseling

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 30, 2002
Location
Tx
TDI
Jetta 02 silver
Hi Chippie

Is there a definite diference in the smell after
they changed the heater core and how bad was before you brought it in.I'm trying to determine if my dealer lied
to me about checking the core for leaks of course smell
is still there since they found no leaks and didn't change the core.
 

chippie

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 1, 2002
Location
Northern California
TDI
Golf TDI, Isuzu P'up Diesel
There was a definite coolant smell before I took the car in and a film on the inside of the windscreen. On picking up the car, still with a film on the inside of the windscreen, there is a smell but not like coolant. I have not driven it enough to tell if the new smell continues but I am putting it down to the new heater core. Hate to admit this but I removed some coolant before taking the car in, as I did not want to quarrel with them. There was no issue on changing the core. I didn’t really want to happen because of all the work that has to be done to the car. The reason I pushed for it is having it fixed now before the end of the warranty.

The question I have now was the oil filter was changed? Does any one know how difficult this is and how different to a gas engine?
 

greenstork

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 26, 2004
Location
Seattle, WA
I have to chime in as I have had the same problem with my '05 Passat. From day 1 I noticed smell of what I now know to be antifreeze, only while using the heat. There was also fogging on the interior of all windows.

Dealer was nice enough to replace my heater core but curiously never told me the problem, claimed he was replacing it as a "precaution."

when I got my car back, there was a sloshing sound under the dash, and two different rattles. They surely botched putting the dash back on. I drove out of the service lot and turned around 1/4 mile later to drop it back off. Another day later, I received my car, still with some smell with the hot air on.

they cleaned the vent system, and added the putrid fake "new car smell" air freshner, which really pissed me off. My car went from nice and new smelling, like new leather, which I rather enjoyed... having a new car and all -- to this fake new car smell.

Two weeks later and all smells have dissipated. New heater core appears to be good and antifreeze smell is gone. It was a poor dealer experience and I am disheartened to find out that this problem is insipid with newer Passats.

I am sure that breathing this was bad for me as it often gave me a headache. It's ridiculous that there hasn't been a recall from this. Lame
 

dieseling

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 30, 2002
Location
Tx
TDI
Jetta 02 silver
chippie the oil filter is under the engine cover like a Jetta
not hard to remove dealers always overfill the oil.Oil change is really easy you should try doing it yourself you don't have to lift car up you just buy a pella oil extractor to suck the oil out.

Can I ask do you have a leather interior?
 

chippie

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 1, 2002
Location
Northern California
TDI
Golf TDI, Isuzu P'up Diesel
I have a Pella oil extractor but wanted the dealer to do the first service because of the warranty and it was in there for the heater and some other issues. Why do they overfill the oil? I nornally do my own oil changes and do not have a problem with over filling. Also by doing it myself I know that the oil filter has been changed. I do not see any signs that the filter has been changed but the dealer could of been really careful.

Yes we have leather which I regret but wanted the other stuff that came with it (we ordered a 2004 vehicle and received a 2005). The seat area of the drivers seat is all ready showing signs of wear and is creased from turning your butt to get out of the car. We have a Mercedes wagon (which I trying to sell by the way) with leatherette and it is a much better material.

I had a hesitation in the throttle the other morning but it just happen once. It was like the car was running our of fuel. All I can say I am so thankfull for this forum for the information that is here, I do not feel alone. I do not nornally complain but I have to say it good to be able to know that others have similar problems.

I still like the car but just do not want to worry about it. I guess this goes with any new vehicle unless you do not have to care about cash. I still have our 96 Passat wagon and it is great to just jump and drive the thing with no worries even with over 220,000 miles on it. I hope the new Passat will be the same one day
 

houstondriver

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 7, 2004
Location
Houston, TX
TDI
Passat 05 TDI
What does the antifreeze smell like? I have a new 05 Passat but have just used the heat a couple times, and not a full power. I smelled something one day, but it smelled like the inside of a McDonalds, not the antifreeze smell I remember, but its been awhile and I may have forgot. I had a Fiesta with a leaky heater core in the 80's, but that was completely obvious since the windshield needed to be wiped off all the time. Hate to think of what breathing all that did then.
 

jimlockey

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 17, 2003
Location
Mesquite, Texas
TDI
14 TDI Jetta & 09 TDI Sportwagen
My 05 heater core was changed out a month two months ago. I still get a very slight antifreeze smell. Each time we use the heater the smell is a little less. I agree with Chippie, VW should not have released any 05's with heater core problems because of the 04 problems, but my VW dealer still says they never heard of a heater core problem on the 04's.
 

icnick

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 29, 2004
Location
Iowa
TDI
Jetta, 2006, Platinum Gray
Jim, same thing here- I had mine changed about a month ago and it has slowly had less and less smell. Every time I drive up a steep incline or hang a sharp curve, some left over coolant from the first core, still in the ducts seems to "slosh around" and get on the new core, and make it smell briefly. I was super ticked the first 2-3 times this happened, and took it back to the dealer because I was convinced (still not 100% certain the other way) they had put another leaky core in. They say it's coolant they couldn't get completely cleaned out of the dash. Hmmm... Does anyone know much about the toxicology of dexcool-like coolants, or whatever this particular pink stuff is?
 

abctdi

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Mar 31, 2004
Location
ABQ, NM, USA
TDI
2005 Passat GLS
If someone has a bottle, look up the main ingredient and I'll look for an MSDS. I think it is polypropylene glycol...
 

EJS

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 18, 2004
Location
Northern VA
TDI
2009 Jetta
If it's polypropylene glycol then it's not harmful, atleast in small quanties taken orally - it's what they give you to drink prior to a colonoscopy.
 

icnick

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 29, 2004
Location
Iowa
TDI
Jetta, 2006, Platinum Gray
I don't have an original container, but from research on-line (YMMV...) it looks like it is propylene glycol (not polypropylene glycol) with OAT (organic acids for anti-corrosion).
 

abctdi

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Mar 31, 2004
Location
ABQ, NM, USA
TDI
2005 Passat GLS
Below is an excerpt from an MSDS. It applies as soon as someone can confirm that indeed PG is the main ingredient of VW G12.
In a nutshell, don't drink it, soak in it, or put it in your eyes. It's okay to breathe, but fresh air is better...

PROPYLENE GLYCOL

1. Product Identification
Synonyms: 1,2-propanediol; 1,2-dihdroxypropane; methyl glycol; methylethylene glycol
CAS No.: 57-55-6
Molecular Weight: 76.09
Chemical Formula: CH3CHOHCH2OH
Product Codes:
J.T. Baker: 9402, 9403, U510
Mallinckrodt: 1925, 6263

2. Composition/Information on Ingredients


Ingredient CAS No Percent Hazardous
--------------------------------------- ------------ ------------ ---------

Propylene Glycol 57-55-6 99 - 100% Yes

3. Hazards Identification
Emergency Overview
--------------------------
CAUTION! MAY CAUSE IRRITATION TO SKIN AND EYES.

J.T. Baker SAF-T-DATA(tm) Ratings (Provided here for your convenience)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Health Rating: 0 - None
Flammability Rating: 1 - Slight
Reactivity Rating: 1 - Slight
Contact Rating: 1 - Slight
Lab Protective Equip: GOGGLES; LAB COAT
Storage Color Code: Orange (General Storage)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Potential Health Effects
----------------------------------

Inhalation:
No adverse health effects via inhalation.
Ingestion:
Relatively non-toxic. Ingestion of sizable amount (over 100ml) may cause some gastrointestinal upset and temporary central nervous system depression. Effects appear more severe in individuals with kidney problems.
Skin Contact:
Mild irritant and defatting agent, especially on prolonged contact.
Eye Contact:
May cause transitory stinging and tearing.
Chronic Exposure:
Lactic acidosis, stupor and seizures have been reported following chronic ingestion.
Aggravation of Pre-existing Conditions:
Kidney disorders.
 
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